The Dead Duke, his Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell is an account of legal proceedings, and the families involved, in a case which had a lot of publicity at the beginning of the twentieth century. Anna Maria Druse made a claim that her dead husband, TC Druce was actually the Duke of Portland who had been living a double life as a middle-class merchant, eventually faking his own death and returning to his past life as a member of the aristocracy. This meant, according to her, that the children raised as Druces were the children of a duke and due to inherit his land and wealth, with her eldest son being the new Duke. She wanted her husband’s coffin exhumed and examined because she claimed that it would be empty and thus confirm her claim.
This is as much a social history of the time as it is an account of what happened in court. The author shows why it wasn’t as easy to establish people’s identity as it might seem and how important people could live very reclusive lives. She also examines the publicity around the story and the rumours about the Duke which appeared to back her claim. The easiest solution to the mystery would be to allow the exhumation but this was opposed by both the Duke’s heirs and the children of Mr Druce so the case continued for many years.
This book shines a light on the class system in England at the time and also the respective power of the Duke’s family and Mrs Druce. It is obvious that the weight of the aristocracy was brought to bear on the case and that Mrs Druce suffered significantly because of her claim. The author examines the case for a possible secret marriage of the Duke and/or an illegitimate child. Other people claiming to be heirs emerged as the case got publicity and there were forged accounts and faked diaries. Witnesses seem to have been paid to give evidence and lower class people who challenged the aristocracy ended up in lunatic asylums with unfortunate frequency. The pages of the newspapers were filled with unsubstantiated rumours and wild fantasies.
This is a book about events which seem so unreal as to be fiction – I could see this story being written by Wilkie Collins, for example. It is, however, true and this book tells the story in a gripping way, allowing us to understand the times and the people as much as the events.
Anne Is Reading 